I've been getting some flack for not updating in a while, so here's the new post. Although I noticed that others haven't updated in nearly as long, either (Victoria!)...
We have now been in our new house for about 5 weeks. We are fairly settled (there are still many unpacked boxes in the basement, but we like to not think about them). The first few weeks here were a bit lonely for me. Being in this small of a town, people look at you strangely when they don't recognize you but aren't necessarily willing to chat. So, trips around town and into the grocery store were a bit strange. I am used to always seeing at least one person that I knew at the grocery store and stopping to chat for a while. Not knowing anyone is a bit of a change.
Chris was on holidays for 2 weeks shortly after we moved so that definitely eased the loneliness that I was beginning to feel. We did some camping, went to the zoo and did a bit of stuff around the house. The 2 weeks went very quickly but we enjoyed our time as a family. Our original plan was to go to Kelowna or somewhere in that area for holidays, but with the move and other things happening this summer, we decided to stick closer to home.
We camped with my parents a weekend in August near Bowden. It was a bit cool that weekend and we had been saying that we would like a bigger trailer maybe next year so that there was room for Luca to play when it was cold or rainy outside. Being in a 14 foot trailer just wasn't conducive to playing in. We had forgotten diaper wipes and were in need of some more wood so Chris and my dad went to Innisfail to get some. While they were gone, Luca and I had a nap, only to be awaken by Chris saying that he had a surprise for me. I stepped outside the trailer to see another, larger trailer hitched to my dad's truck. To my great surprise, he had purchased a new (to us) trailer while he was in town. I wasn't too sure how I felt about that until I heard the great deal that he got on it. After selling our smaller trailer, we only paid $300 for a 17 ft, 9" wider, fantastic condition trailer. So, we moved all our stuff into the new trailer and slept there for the rest of the weekend. It was an eventful weekend, indeed!
I had applied for a few teachign jobs in the area, adn hadn't heard about any, so had assumed that I would be subbing again this year. Then, I got a call for an interview! I was so excited, but not really getting my hopes up as I have had a few interviews that did not result as I had hoped. I went for the interview and was offered the job!!!! Chris and I were beside ourselves with excitement! It is practically a dream job for me, so I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by! It was very tough to think about having to leave Luca, but things have all worked out.
Here is an overview of my job:
I am teaching a supplementary resource program for Grades 5-8 which is essentailly life skills, functional math and functional reading for those that are low functioing disabled. I will have between 3 and 7 students at a time.Our mornings will basically be Math and Language skills with the afternoons being life skills based programs such as cooking, work experience, social skills and health and safety topics.
All of the students will be integrated into their own homeroom classes for subjects such as phys ed, art, and music. They will participate in some science and social activities in the regular classroom with our assistance when they are able. Any field trips that their regular calss takes they will participate in with the assistance of either myself or an aide.
While this all sounds like an easy ride, I assure you, it isn't. Besides dealing with some of the behaviour and emotional issues that some of these students have, there is a ton of administrative work. I need to write an Individual Program Plan for each student (and help write for the other 50 or so learning disabled students in the school). An IPP is essentially the studen't curriculum, which tells us the skills that need to be worked on as well as academic functioning, formal assessments, medical interventions, etc. They are time consuming and not easy to write. I have to be completed these by September 30th, so this month will be very busy trying to get to know the kids so that I can write a plan for their year.
As well as lots of paperwork, I must attend a meeting monthly with psychologists, social workers and the family school liason to discuss each and every student with an IPP in the school as well as those studnets that are "at risk".
This week has been very long with meetings nearly all day, every day. I am really looking forward tot eh kids coming on Tuesday and getting to know them.
As for childcare, I was very fortunate to find someone that I really liked to watch Luca. She lives near the school, and has had a dayhome for many years. Before that, she was a teaching assistant at a private school in Calgary and up until recently was a foster parent. She was recommended to me and I felt immediately at ease with her and Luca seemed very comfortable there. I am so relieved that I know that Luca will be happy and safe while I am at work. Thanks so very much to Dee, who I couldn't have lived without for the last week. Luca has enjoyed spending the days with her and Adelynn and it has been so comforting knowing that he was with someone that loves him so dearly.
Tomorrow is my mom and dad's 25th anniversary. On Saturday we took them to Edmonton and had photos done at the antique photo parlor and then went out for supper. It was very nice to spend the day with our immediate family, as too often we are busy and are not always together. We had a fun evening, and some great photos, too!
Our 5th anniversary is coming up on Friday. Hard to believe that it has been 5 years, but them other times it feels like we've always had eachother. Every year with Chris just gets better and better. I couldn't have asked for a more caring and devoted husband and father for Luca. I know that every year to come will continue to be fabulous!
Sorry about the lack of pictures, I really need to put them on the computer from the camera. Unfortunately, I just don't have time right now, as I should be prepping for school tomorrow. But, I did tell Auntie Karyn that I would post this weekend...... :)
I will try to get some pictures up again soon. I know, I'm falling behind!
Monday, September 03, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
My personality test
Wow, this is freakily true.....quite interesting. Try it yourself- it only takes about 10 minutes to complete. Check mine out:
My personalDNA Report
My personalDNA Report
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Well, in case you didn't know, we ARE moving....in 10 days! Everything has been finalized now and we are in the packing stages. We did get the house that we wanted in Crossfield.
It has been a long and sometimes tearful process to get to where we are today. It will be very sad to leave this home, but we are looking forward to our new house and especially to having Chris at home every night.
We did meet the family that is moving to our house- they seemed very nice. They are not too much older than us, they have a boy, 7, and a girl, 4. We were glad to hear that there was a family moving in here, there is lots of space for a family, and we hope that they will love this house as much as we do/did.
The husband actually came here from Ottawa to work and purchased the house alone, while his wife and kids were still in Ottawa. So, the wife and kids were very excited to have a peek at their new house last weekend. They said that the floor plan was very similar to their house in Ottawa, and the wife was very happy with the house.
It is nice to know who will be living in our house, it makes it a bit easier knowing that the family really likes the house. We hope that they will have as many good memories here as we do.
As for us, we don't officially have a mailing address or phone # yet- Telus has to phone us back with a new number and we can't get our post office box until we have the land title. As soon as we have all our new information, we will pass it along to you.
We're looking forward to welcoming visitors to our new house soon!
It has been a long and sometimes tearful process to get to where we are today. It will be very sad to leave this home, but we are looking forward to our new house and especially to having Chris at home every night.
We did meet the family that is moving to our house- they seemed very nice. They are not too much older than us, they have a boy, 7, and a girl, 4. We were glad to hear that there was a family moving in here, there is lots of space for a family, and we hope that they will love this house as much as we do/did.
The husband actually came here from Ottawa to work and purchased the house alone, while his wife and kids were still in Ottawa. So, the wife and kids were very excited to have a peek at their new house last weekend. They said that the floor plan was very similar to their house in Ottawa, and the wife was very happy with the house.
It is nice to know who will be living in our house, it makes it a bit easier knowing that the family really likes the house. We hope that they will have as many good memories here as we do.
As for us, we don't officially have a mailing address or phone # yet- Telus has to phone us back with a new number and we can't get our post office box until we have the land title. As soon as we have all our new information, we will pass it along to you.
We're looking forward to welcoming visitors to our new house soon!
Friday, June 29, 2007
A year already!
This post was supposed to be posted yesterday from a draft, but I forgot, so here it is, just pretend you are reading it on thh 28th, not the 29th...
It was on this day last year that our lives were changed forever. I was a little over 39 1/2 weeks pregnant, 3 days from my due date, absolutely huge and uncomfortable and weighing in at far more than I would like to disclose. I had spent nearly every day of the past few weeks in the cool basement of our house with a Slurpee, watching tv, as I was too large and uncomfortable to do much else in the heat. The last few weeks of June last year were treacherous with heat and humidity. I could not get my little inner furnace out fast enough. It seemed like I had been pregnant forever and that there was no end in sight.
As a treat to myself, I went to the Wellness Centre in town for a massage and reflexology on my feet. I had heard that reflexology was a great way to stimulate labour, so I figured it couldn't hurt. At the very least, I would be pampered for an hour, and you can't go wrong with that! My appointment was right before lunch time. The annual 1st day of Stampede pancake breakfast was just being cleaned up outside the wellness center. Oh, if only I had dragged myself out of the house earlier, I could have had pancakes AND a massage! Oh well, I had a very relaxing morning, and felt refreshed, even without the pancakes.
It was Wednesday, June 28th, the first day of the Ponoka Stampede. I just HAD to have a fair burger and mini donuts. So, we made the trek up to the fair grounds. I never thought of the hill up to the top of the grounds as steep until I was carrying nearly 50 lbs of extra weight up it! Boy, was I pooped when we reached the top! It certainly didn't help that it was about 27 degrees that day, too.
So, Chris and I got a fair burger, which I enjoyed immensely! Of course, the mini donut stand would be at the opposite corner of the grounds. So, we had to walk to the other end in the heat. But, I did get my mini donuts! After we got back to the truck, I was so hot and tired- time for another slurpee!
We got our cold drinks and headed home around 7 pm, to watch a movie in the cool of the basement. Just as we were starting the movie, the phone rang. It was 7:15 pm. I sat up to answer the phone, and felt a strange pop. I talked on the phone for a few minutes, then made the mistake of shifting positions. By now, it was very clear to me what had happened. My water broke!!!
Surprisingly, Chris and I were both very calm. We greeted our visitors at the door (Pat and Joanne), and told them that we wouldn't be sticking around to visit. It was them that called to say that they were down the street and were going to stop by. I began to have contractions about 15 minutes later, and they started at about 5 minutes apart. That baby was definitely ready to make an entrance!
After calling the hospital to let them know that we were coming in, we were on the way, with Chris calmly driving and me timing contractions. We were so calm, in fact, that I felt the need to call my best friend Dee from the car to let her know that I was in labour! I chatted with her for a few minutes as we cruised down highway 2 on the way to Red Deer.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, at about 8:30 pm (we didn't rush to leave our house, and waited around until about 8:00), I was 3-4 cm dialated and contractions were coming a bit faster and noticeably harder.
It was not long before contractions coming so quickly that I didn't have much time to rest between. By 11:50 pm, I knew that it was time to push.
But, there was something wrong. With every contraction, our baby's heart rate got lower and didn't recover as it should. My doctor walked in, watched 1 or 2 contractions and decided to call an ob/gyn to assist.
This very young man walks in and introduces himself as Dr. so-and-so. He begins this monologue (or so it seemed to me, I wasn't really able to focus and it seemed like he talked forever!) about what was happening and what they needed to do. I gave him verbal permission to use the vacuum to assist in the delivery. Permission! Ha! With the baby's head crowning and me on no pain medication except for the gas that I was inhaling and clinging to like a lifeline, I would have said yes if he had asked if I would mind if he let busload of small children try to pull my baby out!
Anyway, he attached the suction cup to the baby's head and pulled with each contraction. In a matter of minutes, at 12:31 am on Thursday, June 29, 2007, I heard the words- It's a BOY!
"It's a what?!?!?!" I remember asking. I was so sure that it had been a girl kicking and swimming inside of me. I was pleasantly surprised. Then the all important question came out of my mouth- "Does he have hair?". I so badly wanted a baby with some hair. And, he did.
He had a ring of dark hair. He rather looked like an old man, with his squished, wrinkled face, and ring of hair, with the top of his head being almost completely bald, save for a few strands of hair which would be a mohawk for the next 6 or 7 months.
Our baby was finally here! A boy! We had no trouble naming him. Luca Christopher was perfect.
Due to the assisted delivery, Luca was taken immediately to the Special Care Nursery and stayed there to be monitored for the next 12 hours.
We were so excited to show off our baby and to bring him home.
Some days it seems like only yesterday that we were bringing our tiny little precious bundle home. Then other days I can hardly remember what it was like when he was that small. I look at pictures and marvel at how small and helpless he was. Now, he has changed so much, and likes to be independent.
Today our baby is 1. I know that he hasn't aged a year overnight. In reality he is only a day older, but days like today, his first birthday, force you to walk down memory lane and think over all the milestones in the past year. There will never be another year that he will change so drastically.
I am happy-sad at this momentous occasion. It is such a joy to watch Luca grow and change eevry day. I love seeing wonder written on his face when he realizes something new. But, I also miss those days when he was just this tight little bundle, wrapped in a flannel blanket, sleeping the day away so contentedly. When everything had to be done for him in order for him to survive. Now, he walks, he talks, he loves to feed himself. He also throws temper tantrums now because he knows that there is more in his world than what he can see in this instant. He knows what he wants and he wants it now!
While Luca won't change nearly as noticably in the next few years, we know that there are still many occasions and reasons for celebration on the horizon.
Happy 1st Birthday, Luca!
It was on this day last year that our lives were changed forever. I was a little over 39 1/2 weeks pregnant, 3 days from my due date, absolutely huge and uncomfortable and weighing in at far more than I would like to disclose. I had spent nearly every day of the past few weeks in the cool basement of our house with a Slurpee, watching tv, as I was too large and uncomfortable to do much else in the heat. The last few weeks of June last year were treacherous with heat and humidity. I could not get my little inner furnace out fast enough. It seemed like I had been pregnant forever and that there was no end in sight.
As a treat to myself, I went to the Wellness Centre in town for a massage and reflexology on my feet. I had heard that reflexology was a great way to stimulate labour, so I figured it couldn't hurt. At the very least, I would be pampered for an hour, and you can't go wrong with that! My appointment was right before lunch time. The annual 1st day of Stampede pancake breakfast was just being cleaned up outside the wellness center. Oh, if only I had dragged myself out of the house earlier, I could have had pancakes AND a massage! Oh well, I had a very relaxing morning, and felt refreshed, even without the pancakes.
It was Wednesday, June 28th, the first day of the Ponoka Stampede. I just HAD to have a fair burger and mini donuts. So, we made the trek up to the fair grounds. I never thought of the hill up to the top of the grounds as steep until I was carrying nearly 50 lbs of extra weight up it! Boy, was I pooped when we reached the top! It certainly didn't help that it was about 27 degrees that day, too.
So, Chris and I got a fair burger, which I enjoyed immensely! Of course, the mini donut stand would be at the opposite corner of the grounds. So, we had to walk to the other end in the heat. But, I did get my mini donuts! After we got back to the truck, I was so hot and tired- time for another slurpee!
We got our cold drinks and headed home around 7 pm, to watch a movie in the cool of the basement. Just as we were starting the movie, the phone rang. It was 7:15 pm. I sat up to answer the phone, and felt a strange pop. I talked on the phone for a few minutes, then made the mistake of shifting positions. By now, it was very clear to me what had happened. My water broke!!!
Surprisingly, Chris and I were both very calm. We greeted our visitors at the door (Pat and Joanne), and told them that we wouldn't be sticking around to visit. It was them that called to say that they were down the street and were going to stop by. I began to have contractions about 15 minutes later, and they started at about 5 minutes apart. That baby was definitely ready to make an entrance!
After calling the hospital to let them know that we were coming in, we were on the way, with Chris calmly driving and me timing contractions. We were so calm, in fact, that I felt the need to call my best friend Dee from the car to let her know that I was in labour! I chatted with her for a few minutes as we cruised down highway 2 on the way to Red Deer.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, at about 8:30 pm (we didn't rush to leave our house, and waited around until about 8:00), I was 3-4 cm dialated and contractions were coming a bit faster and noticeably harder.
It was not long before contractions coming so quickly that I didn't have much time to rest between. By 11:50 pm, I knew that it was time to push.
But, there was something wrong. With every contraction, our baby's heart rate got lower and didn't recover as it should. My doctor walked in, watched 1 or 2 contractions and decided to call an ob/gyn to assist.
This very young man walks in and introduces himself as Dr. so-and-so. He begins this monologue (or so it seemed to me, I wasn't really able to focus and it seemed like he talked forever!) about what was happening and what they needed to do. I gave him verbal permission to use the vacuum to assist in the delivery. Permission! Ha! With the baby's head crowning and me on no pain medication except for the gas that I was inhaling and clinging to like a lifeline, I would have said yes if he had asked if I would mind if he let busload of small children try to pull my baby out!
Anyway, he attached the suction cup to the baby's head and pulled with each contraction. In a matter of minutes, at 12:31 am on Thursday, June 29, 2007, I heard the words- It's a BOY!
"It's a what?!?!?!" I remember asking. I was so sure that it had been a girl kicking and swimming inside of me. I was pleasantly surprised. Then the all important question came out of my mouth- "Does he have hair?". I so badly wanted a baby with some hair. And, he did.
He had a ring of dark hair. He rather looked like an old man, with his squished, wrinkled face, and ring of hair, with the top of his head being almost completely bald, save for a few strands of hair which would be a mohawk for the next 6 or 7 months.
Our baby was finally here! A boy! We had no trouble naming him. Luca Christopher was perfect.
Due to the assisted delivery, Luca was taken immediately to the Special Care Nursery and stayed there to be monitored for the next 12 hours.
We were so excited to show off our baby and to bring him home.
Some days it seems like only yesterday that we were bringing our tiny little precious bundle home. Then other days I can hardly remember what it was like when he was that small. I look at pictures and marvel at how small and helpless he was. Now, he has changed so much, and likes to be independent.
Today our baby is 1. I know that he hasn't aged a year overnight. In reality he is only a day older, but days like today, his first birthday, force you to walk down memory lane and think over all the milestones in the past year. There will never be another year that he will change so drastically.
I am happy-sad at this momentous occasion. It is such a joy to watch Luca grow and change eevry day. I love seeing wonder written on his face when he realizes something new. But, I also miss those days when he was just this tight little bundle, wrapped in a flannel blanket, sleeping the day away so contentedly. When everything had to be done for him in order for him to survive. Now, he walks, he talks, he loves to feed himself. He also throws temper tantrums now because he knows that there is more in his world than what he can see in this instant. He knows what he wants and he wants it now!
While Luca won't change nearly as noticably in the next few years, we know that there are still many occasions and reasons for celebration on the horizon.
Happy 1st Birthday, Luca!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Finally, some pictures!
***Just a reminder that you can click on the photo and it should show you a larger image. You might want to do this for the last 2 photos***
Finally I have a chance to try to put some pictures up, as long as Blogger cooperates...there will probably be quite a few, and I will keep the text minimal to make up for the previous 2 loooonnngggg posts! :)
Working hard on Daddy's blackberry.
Graham Family June 4, 2007
Donovan and Luca in the tub
11 months old!
Sisters
Meeting Daisy-May at Nona and Papa's
Teagan and Xadrian with Daisy
Funnel cloud Northwest of Ponoka June 21, 2007
Want some tomato sauce??
For those of you that may not have heard, we accepted an offer on our house on Wednesday. The offer is conditional to finalizing their financing and a home inspection. These conditions are to be removed by June 30th, and we are still planning to move mid-July. We'll be needing some help to move, so we'll be tracking everyone down that is able-bodied! :)
On Wednesday, I went to the Faith Hill/ Tim McGraw concert in Edmonton. It was wonderful! We had great seats, and they played for a full 3 hours. It was definitely worth the money and we (Jacquie, Carri and I) had a great time. Hopefully I will have some pictures from the show soon...just waiting to get them from Carri.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Luca's a travelling man!
Luca is now officially a "walker". He is now walking more often than he is crawling, and quite proud of himself, too! :) He seems to think it is just great that he can walk AND carry toys at the same time! Anyone who has been to our house knows "the loop" that we have, and Luca loves to walk this loop...it takes him a while, but he can do it all on 2 feet!
Luca's 5th tooth made its appearance yesterday. He now has 3 on top and 2 on the bottom, although I expect that the partner for this new top one will poke through any day now.
In less than 2 weeks, Luca will be 1!!!! I can hardly believe that a year as passed so quickly! I can so easily recall how enormous and uncomfortable I was at this time last year! It was much hotter then than it is now. I remember spending most of my time in the basement with a slurpee! Haha! Chris was in Houston, Texas at this time last year, as well, with me here, worried that I would go into labour without him. Luckily, Luca hung in there for a week after Chris came home!
Here's the plan for Luca's birthday- because we don't know what will be happening with our house (whether it will be being shown, sold, who knows) that weekend, we are going to go camping from June 29- July 2. We will be staying in Ponoka to watch the Stampede Parade on the morning of the 29th, Luca's actual birthday. Sometime after the parade, we will be heading out to our campsite at Ol' MacDonald Resort on Buffalo Lake, near Alix.
Luca's birthday party will be on Saturday, June 30th. Anyone that would like to come for the party is invited for the day, but the party will begin probably around 2ish. There is so much to do there, such as hay rides, petting zoo, swimming ( I think they have an outdoor pool as well as the lake), mini golf, a playground, etc. We will be having supper and of course, Birthday Cake and Ice Cream! Anyone that is planning to come, please RSVP by June 25th.
You can check out the website for the campground at www.olmacdonalds.com/index.html
As for our house....we had an open house last week that saw about 5 groups come through. Pretty good for Ponoka. A few people seemed quite interested, and one guy was going to come back for a second look, but changed his mind. :( So frustrating! Our realtor is still waiting to hear from another couple that seemed quite interested.
We have now dropped our price $20 000 since listing, in the hopes that it would attract more buyers and we can do a quick sale. Keep your fingers crossed that the right buyer comes along soon. Very soon.
As for the house in Crossfield, apparently the market there has slowed down similarly to the market here. Houses just aren't selling as quickly as they were a few months ago. So, that is good news for us on one hand. There have been no other offers on the house that we want, so the likelyhood of getting another extension on our offer is good. On the other hand, the prices around there may also be changing. We're not sure if they have, but it is a possibility. As of yet, our offer on price stays the same on that house, the only thing that has changed is the expiry date of the offer.
We also were hoping to move mid-July, but that may not be an option for us right now, unless our house sells and the buyer wants a quick posession. But, since it is less than a month away, it will most likely be pushed back to later in the summer. Chris and I are both looking forward to being together every evening. Having Chris away 5 days a week is draining on both of us, and Chris is getting tired of living in a hotel.
I have applied for 2 teaching positions for the fall so far. A Grade 4 and a Grade 5 position in Didsbury and Carstairs. I am not counting on even gettting an interview, but maybe our luck will change soon...:) It is tough not to be a bit skeptical when I have been without a contract for 3 years now. There are just too few jobs and too much competition. Sigh. Keep your fingers crossed for that, too.
I have only 2 days of work left (including today) before I am off for the summer! Woo hoo! I have enjoyed my days back at work (for the most part), but am looking forward to being at home with Luca again.
I am also so very looking forward to the Faith Hill/ Tim McGraw concert on Wednesday!!! It seemed like so far away when we bought the tickets, and here it is only 2 days away! Yippee!!!
That's all for now....I'll try to get some pics up soon, but Blogger doesn't seem to want to cooperate! :)
Luca's 5th tooth made its appearance yesterday. He now has 3 on top and 2 on the bottom, although I expect that the partner for this new top one will poke through any day now.
In less than 2 weeks, Luca will be 1!!!! I can hardly believe that a year as passed so quickly! I can so easily recall how enormous and uncomfortable I was at this time last year! It was much hotter then than it is now. I remember spending most of my time in the basement with a slurpee! Haha! Chris was in Houston, Texas at this time last year, as well, with me here, worried that I would go into labour without him. Luckily, Luca hung in there for a week after Chris came home!
Here's the plan for Luca's birthday- because we don't know what will be happening with our house (whether it will be being shown, sold, who knows) that weekend, we are going to go camping from June 29- July 2. We will be staying in Ponoka to watch the Stampede Parade on the morning of the 29th, Luca's actual birthday. Sometime after the parade, we will be heading out to our campsite at Ol' MacDonald Resort on Buffalo Lake, near Alix.
Luca's birthday party will be on Saturday, June 30th. Anyone that would like to come for the party is invited for the day, but the party will begin probably around 2ish. There is so much to do there, such as hay rides, petting zoo, swimming ( I think they have an outdoor pool as well as the lake), mini golf, a playground, etc. We will be having supper and of course, Birthday Cake and Ice Cream! Anyone that is planning to come, please RSVP by June 25th.
You can check out the website for the campground at www.olmacdonalds.com/index.html
As for our house....we had an open house last week that saw about 5 groups come through. Pretty good for Ponoka. A few people seemed quite interested, and one guy was going to come back for a second look, but changed his mind. :( So frustrating! Our realtor is still waiting to hear from another couple that seemed quite interested.
We have now dropped our price $20 000 since listing, in the hopes that it would attract more buyers and we can do a quick sale. Keep your fingers crossed that the right buyer comes along soon. Very soon.
As for the house in Crossfield, apparently the market there has slowed down similarly to the market here. Houses just aren't selling as quickly as they were a few months ago. So, that is good news for us on one hand. There have been no other offers on the house that we want, so the likelyhood of getting another extension on our offer is good. On the other hand, the prices around there may also be changing. We're not sure if they have, but it is a possibility. As of yet, our offer on price stays the same on that house, the only thing that has changed is the expiry date of the offer.
We also were hoping to move mid-July, but that may not be an option for us right now, unless our house sells and the buyer wants a quick posession. But, since it is less than a month away, it will most likely be pushed back to later in the summer. Chris and I are both looking forward to being together every evening. Having Chris away 5 days a week is draining on both of us, and Chris is getting tired of living in a hotel.
I have applied for 2 teaching positions for the fall so far. A Grade 4 and a Grade 5 position in Didsbury and Carstairs. I am not counting on even gettting an interview, but maybe our luck will change soon...:) It is tough not to be a bit skeptical when I have been without a contract for 3 years now. There are just too few jobs and too much competition. Sigh. Keep your fingers crossed for that, too.
I have only 2 days of work left (including today) before I am off for the summer! Woo hoo! I have enjoyed my days back at work (for the most part), but am looking forward to being at home with Luca again.
I am also so very looking forward to the Faith Hill/ Tim McGraw concert on Wednesday!!! It seemed like so far away when we bought the tickets, and here it is only 2 days away! Yippee!!!
That's all for now....I'll try to get some pics up soon, but Blogger doesn't seem to want to cooperate! :)
Monday, June 04, 2007
Finally!
Ok, I am finally able to sit down for a few minutes and write something....there won't be any pictures tonight, but hopefully by the end of the week...
Where to begin? It has been soooo long!
About a week and a half ago, Luca took his first "real" steps! My dad was here saying goodbye to Luca and I before he left again for work(Chris was in Calgary) and Luca just started to walk from our dining room table to me, in the living room. It was such a surprise, and of course, I cried! While I was disappointed that Chris missed seeing it, I was happy that my dad was able to witness it. With him working away, Luca has changed every time he sees him. So, it was nice that he was able to be here for such a big event! Luca did walk for his Daddy the next day, though!
He hasn't really caught on to actually "walking" yet, though. He'll take a few steps in between pieces of furniture, but isn't quite confident enough yet to GO. Soon, though, I'm sure. It has definitely been exciting to watch!
Luca walked the day before my first day back at work, shich made it extra hard to leave him for the day. He was in very capable hands with Jacquie, and he actually didn't walk at her place (they have laminate, while we have carpet, so I think he was a bit afraid).
My first day abck at work was in a grade 1 classroom all day. Boy, did I ever forget just how tiring a room full of 6 year olds could be! All I wanted to do at the end of the day (well, after lunch, actually!) was nap! But, it was a good day, and it was nice to be back. I was welcomed by many teachers that said that they had missed me, and it is always a good feeling when someone is glad to see you because they appreciate the good job that you do.
Last week I worked 2 half days (mornings only) and that was nice. I am liking the half days better than the full days. This week I have a half day and 2 full days booked, so I am pretty sure that I will be tired come the weekend.
Luca and Donovan started swimming lessons at the pool here in town 2 weeks ago. Luca absolutely LOVES being in the water and splashing around. Donny usually loves it, but for some reason does not like the lessons. I think that it has more to do with the instructor than the actual water or the lesson. The instructor is a teenage boy who doesn't seem to know when to back off and give Donny space- he just keeps on keepin on, and Donny eventually gets to the point where he is screaming and crying. The instructor is away next week and we have a "sub" so we'll see if that makes a difference for Donovan.
The point of lessons this young is just ot familiarize the kids with the water, to learn to blow bubbles and to float. Luca really likes to float on his back (with my help, of course) and look up at the ceiling. Last week the little ones got life jackets and we took them into the big pool. Luca really liked it in there, and it was much easier on me, not having to crawl around on my knees in the kiddie pool! Chris and I have taken Luca swimming a few times and he just really loves to be in the water.
Chris has been at his new job for about a month now. He is really enjoying the job, but having him gone Monday- Friday has been tough. (And sometimes more often, but that's another story...) He is definitely starting to realize some of the pressures that come with being in charge, though. I am so proud of him for all that he has accomplished and I know that he will continue to do well in this position.
Our offer on the Crossfield house was to expire on May 31st, but we were granted an extension until June 21st. Our house has had quite a few people look at it, but many are disappointed at the size of our backyard. Hopefully the right buyer comes along soon. The biggest problem that we are facing is the market. As of yesterday, there were 45 single family homes listed in Ponoka. Of those, 14 are in teh $250-300k range, which is where our house is sitting. So, there is lots for a buyer to choose from right now. We are just trying to think positively and hope that someone comes along that prefers the 3 car garage to the larger back yard. And hopefully soon!
It is definitely difficult trying to keep our house in a show-worthy state all the time with Luca around. It seems that every time I turn to put something away, he's pulled out 2 more things! Oh well, he is learning and having fun!
Last week Luca was 11 months old! Wow! I can hardly believe that he is almost a year old! I really can't believe how quickly time passes! Soon we will be planning his birthday party!
This last weekend was Chris' company picnic in Edmonton. It was a little disappointing, with most people leaving to go golfing, but Chris, Luca and I spent a wonderful afternoon together walking and we even went on a paddle boat ride. Luca cried for about half the time, but mainly I think because his life jacket was digging into his chin whenever he sat down. It was fun though, it had been ages since Chris or I had been on a paddle boat!
Well, that's the biggest stuff that I can think of right now. I will try to add some pictures this week, but as you read, I am working 3 days, so will be a bit busy, but I promise to try!
And I really do promise to get posting more often again! :)
Where to begin? It has been soooo long!
About a week and a half ago, Luca took his first "real" steps! My dad was here saying goodbye to Luca and I before he left again for work(Chris was in Calgary) and Luca just started to walk from our dining room table to me, in the living room. It was such a surprise, and of course, I cried! While I was disappointed that Chris missed seeing it, I was happy that my dad was able to witness it. With him working away, Luca has changed every time he sees him. So, it was nice that he was able to be here for such a big event! Luca did walk for his Daddy the next day, though!
He hasn't really caught on to actually "walking" yet, though. He'll take a few steps in between pieces of furniture, but isn't quite confident enough yet to GO. Soon, though, I'm sure. It has definitely been exciting to watch!
Luca walked the day before my first day back at work, shich made it extra hard to leave him for the day. He was in very capable hands with Jacquie, and he actually didn't walk at her place (they have laminate, while we have carpet, so I think he was a bit afraid).
My first day abck at work was in a grade 1 classroom all day. Boy, did I ever forget just how tiring a room full of 6 year olds could be! All I wanted to do at the end of the day (well, after lunch, actually!) was nap! But, it was a good day, and it was nice to be back. I was welcomed by many teachers that said that they had missed me, and it is always a good feeling when someone is glad to see you because they appreciate the good job that you do.
Last week I worked 2 half days (mornings only) and that was nice. I am liking the half days better than the full days. This week I have a half day and 2 full days booked, so I am pretty sure that I will be tired come the weekend.
Luca and Donovan started swimming lessons at the pool here in town 2 weeks ago. Luca absolutely LOVES being in the water and splashing around. Donny usually loves it, but for some reason does not like the lessons. I think that it has more to do with the instructor than the actual water or the lesson. The instructor is a teenage boy who doesn't seem to know when to back off and give Donny space- he just keeps on keepin on, and Donny eventually gets to the point where he is screaming and crying. The instructor is away next week and we have a "sub" so we'll see if that makes a difference for Donovan.
The point of lessons this young is just ot familiarize the kids with the water, to learn to blow bubbles and to float. Luca really likes to float on his back (with my help, of course) and look up at the ceiling. Last week the little ones got life jackets and we took them into the big pool. Luca really liked it in there, and it was much easier on me, not having to crawl around on my knees in the kiddie pool! Chris and I have taken Luca swimming a few times and he just really loves to be in the water.
Chris has been at his new job for about a month now. He is really enjoying the job, but having him gone Monday- Friday has been tough. (And sometimes more often, but that's another story...) He is definitely starting to realize some of the pressures that come with being in charge, though. I am so proud of him for all that he has accomplished and I know that he will continue to do well in this position.
Our offer on the Crossfield house was to expire on May 31st, but we were granted an extension until June 21st. Our house has had quite a few people look at it, but many are disappointed at the size of our backyard. Hopefully the right buyer comes along soon. The biggest problem that we are facing is the market. As of yesterday, there were 45 single family homes listed in Ponoka. Of those, 14 are in teh $250-300k range, which is where our house is sitting. So, there is lots for a buyer to choose from right now. We are just trying to think positively and hope that someone comes along that prefers the 3 car garage to the larger back yard. And hopefully soon!
It is definitely difficult trying to keep our house in a show-worthy state all the time with Luca around. It seems that every time I turn to put something away, he's pulled out 2 more things! Oh well, he is learning and having fun!
Last week Luca was 11 months old! Wow! I can hardly believe that he is almost a year old! I really can't believe how quickly time passes! Soon we will be planning his birthday party!
This last weekend was Chris' company picnic in Edmonton. It was a little disappointing, with most people leaving to go golfing, but Chris, Luca and I spent a wonderful afternoon together walking and we even went on a paddle boat ride. Luca cried for about half the time, but mainly I think because his life jacket was digging into his chin whenever he sat down. It was fun though, it had been ages since Chris or I had been on a paddle boat!
Well, that's the biggest stuff that I can think of right now. I will try to add some pictures this week, but as you read, I am working 3 days, so will be a bit busy, but I promise to try!
And I really do promise to get posting more often again! :)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
First Mother's Day
Today was a wonderful day. First, I got to sleep in...until 10:00 am!!! My wonderful husband got up with Luca and let me sleep. Then he made me a wonderful brunch of bacon, eggs and toast. Luca had a long nap in the afternoon and we watched some taped episodes of CSI (I know, so romantic!). Then Chris made a delicious supper of BBQ steak, potato casserole, corn on the cob and Caesar salad. Yummy! We went for a nice long walk this evening before getting Luca into bed. What a nice day with my family!
Luca gave me an adorable book of pictures of animals with "mommy saynigs" and Chris gave me a book that I had asked for called "The Mommy Journal: Letters to your Child". I have been wanting to write letters to Luca for a while now, and this was a perfect book. I think I will write my first letter tonight.
I was thinking about the last year- this time last year I was about 8 months pregnant. Boy, have our lives changed since then! I could not have imagined the joy that being a mother could bring. And the fatigue, and at times, frustration, but mostly just pure, overflowing joy. Nothing can prepare you for the instantaneous love that you feel for that tiny child. I am still amazed at the reality that I am a mother of an adorable little boy, who no matter how hard I try to stop it, grows and changes every day. And makes me laugh every day. As much as I think I want a break, I can't wait to come home and kiss and hug him.
Not only has this past year seen me become a mother, but my relationship with my husband has only grown deeper. There are days that it almost brings me to tears to watch father and son together. It is so wonderful to see the love that I feel for Luca reflected in Chris' eyes as well. There is so much joy in our little family, and that joy and love only grows when we are with extended family.
Can you tell that today I am feeling very loved? There are many days that it seems like a never-ending cycle of mundane tasks. Change diapers, feed Luca, do dishes, play, change, feed, clean, cook, play, feed, bath.... But days like today, I just know that it is all worth it. No matter how routine things get, I know that I am appreciated and it is all done for our little family. And of course, it is great to have a day off and not have to do those things...come to think of it, I DID NOT change any diapers today, I did not cook, I did not clean. I did play, though! At least I still got to do the fun part!
Luca gave me an adorable book of pictures of animals with "mommy saynigs" and Chris gave me a book that I had asked for called "The Mommy Journal: Letters to your Child". I have been wanting to write letters to Luca for a while now, and this was a perfect book. I think I will write my first letter tonight.
I was thinking about the last year- this time last year I was about 8 months pregnant. Boy, have our lives changed since then! I could not have imagined the joy that being a mother could bring. And the fatigue, and at times, frustration, but mostly just pure, overflowing joy. Nothing can prepare you for the instantaneous love that you feel for that tiny child. I am still amazed at the reality that I am a mother of an adorable little boy, who no matter how hard I try to stop it, grows and changes every day. And makes me laugh every day. As much as I think I want a break, I can't wait to come home and kiss and hug him.
Not only has this past year seen me become a mother, but my relationship with my husband has only grown deeper. There are days that it almost brings me to tears to watch father and son together. It is so wonderful to see the love that I feel for Luca reflected in Chris' eyes as well. There is so much joy in our little family, and that joy and love only grows when we are with extended family.
Can you tell that today I am feeling very loved? There are many days that it seems like a never-ending cycle of mundane tasks. Change diapers, feed Luca, do dishes, play, change, feed, clean, cook, play, feed, bath.... But days like today, I just know that it is all worth it. No matter how routine things get, I know that I am appreciated and it is all done for our little family. And of course, it is great to have a day off and not have to do those things...come to think of it, I DID NOT change any diapers today, I did not cook, I did not clean. I did play, though! At least I still got to do the fun part!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
View our house online
If you are interested, you can view our house online at www.mls.ca - the mls number is : 267930
Or at www.ponokaproperties.com to view a virtual tour.
We have had a total of 4 showing so far (2 privately before we listed and 2 after we listed). The common feedback we are getting is that the house is too big. Strange. I didn't think that would be THE drawback to the house. Maybe a family will come along to buy it and then they won't paint over Luca's room!
If you haven't seen Luca's room yet and want to, check out the Virtual Tour. Its pretty obvious which room it is.
As sad as I am to sell, I am also hopeful that it will sell soon because I don't want to lose the Crossfield house and have to start the house searching process all over again. Plus, I love the Crossfield house...
I'll keep you posted as new things hapen.
And, yes, I realize that it's been a while since I've put pictures up. I will try to get on it soon. I promise. :)
Or at www.ponokaproperties.com to view a virtual tour.
We have had a total of 4 showing so far (2 privately before we listed and 2 after we listed). The common feedback we are getting is that the house is too big. Strange. I didn't think that would be THE drawback to the house. Maybe a family will come along to buy it and then they won't paint over Luca's room!
If you haven't seen Luca's room yet and want to, check out the Virtual Tour. Its pretty obvious which room it is.
As sad as I am to sell, I am also hopeful that it will sell soon because I don't want to lose the Crossfield house and have to start the house searching process all over again. Plus, I love the Crossfield house...
I'll keep you posted as new things hapen.
And, yes, I realize that it's been a while since I've put pictures up. I will try to get on it soon. I promise. :)
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Our hosue is listed
The realtor came today adn we listed our house. Yes, there were a few tears on my part, and the lawn sign isn't even up yet. We were a little surprised at what she thought we should list it for- $279 900. We'll see what we actually end up getting for it.
Luca's 4th tooth came in today. I am hoping that we can start getting some more sleep around here now (although he hasn't been too bad this week.)
That's all that's new today. We'll keep you updated as things progress.
Luca's 4th tooth came in today. I am hoping that we can start getting some more sleep around here now (although he hasn't been too bad this week.)
That's all that's new today. We'll keep you updated as things progress.
Monday, May 07, 2007
An offer accepted...
Last night at about 9 pm, after a lot of back and forth between the sellers and us, we agreed upon a price and conditions for the Crossfield house. So, as long as our house sells by the end of May, we will be moving into our dream house July 13th. I will try to get some pictures of it up soon.
We worked our butts off today to get the last of the painting done, get some cleaning done, and packed up some stuff that we didn't really need taking up space before our house was viewed this evening.
The people that came to see the house are our age, we went to high school with them (know them but aren't part of the same circle of friends). I didn't really get a good 'vibe' from them as far as interest in the house goes. They zoomed through pretty quickly. But, they said they'd call us tomorrow and let us know for sure.
I'm pretty sure that we'll be hiring a realtor tomorrow.
I don't know if I am quite prepared to see a For Sale sign in frontof our house. I am pretty sure that there will be tears. Lots of them.
But, the paperwork for the Crossfield house is signed, not to mention Chris has accepted the positon, so there is no turning back now.....
I have a lot of mixed feelings churning around in my belly right now.
On another note, I left Luca for the longest amount of time yet on Sunday- 7.5 hours!!!! He stayed with my mom, Jessica, Sarah and Donovan. From the sounds of it he had a blast and didn't miss Mommy or Daddy one bit! We thought that he would have a better day playing than coming with us to look at the Crossfield house again, sitting in the car, etc.. I think we were right!
Then today, he went over to Jacquie's for 6 hours to play so that we could get some work done around the house.
He was away from me for as long as he would be when I return to work. Hmmmm. Maybe I am a bit more ready to cope with leaving him than I thought? I am scheduled to go back after the long weekend. Sigh. At least now I know that I can do it. But, boy, did I miss my little man, and I was so happy to see him and kiss him, even though he didn't really seem to care that I was back. Stinker!
Oh, also I started weaning Luca about 2 weeks ago now. I started by taking away one feeding (at his morning nap) and replacing it with a bottle. It was a tough few days, but then all seemed to be going well. When I began to take away a second nursing session (before his afternoon nap), he became rather upset with me and refused me all together. HE quit ME COLD TURKEY!!!! Seriously when I tried to nurse him, he would SCREAM like I was torturing him until he got a bottle. So, I guess he is completely weaned. I was still hoping for the bedtime feedings, but I guess not. Oh well, at least he's weaned, right?
Unfortunately, I ended up with quite a bad case of mastitis due to this. Sigh. Not to worry, its all cleared up now.
Not only did Luca not want to nurse, he wanted NOTHING, I mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with me when it came to feeding, changing and cuddling (playing was still ok). He would not let me feed him, so I had to think up nutritious finger food meals for him, he would not allow me to hold his bottle, and he did not want to be cuddled by me. It was a pretty emotional few days.
I am told by the meanie that thought this was just too hilarious that this is common, and that Luca was just telling me that he was mad at me for taking away his nursing time. (Not to mention any names...Pat!) Anyway, I am glad to report that he loves me again and will let me be his Mommy again.
He has a 3rd tooth, as well (I think I may have already posted about that, but can't remember for sure.). The 4th is right under the surface. We'll see if it comes through or goes back into hiding for a while....
We worked our butts off today to get the last of the painting done, get some cleaning done, and packed up some stuff that we didn't really need taking up space before our house was viewed this evening.
The people that came to see the house are our age, we went to high school with them (know them but aren't part of the same circle of friends). I didn't really get a good 'vibe' from them as far as interest in the house goes. They zoomed through pretty quickly. But, they said they'd call us tomorrow and let us know for sure.
I'm pretty sure that we'll be hiring a realtor tomorrow.
I don't know if I am quite prepared to see a For Sale sign in frontof our house. I am pretty sure that there will be tears. Lots of them.
But, the paperwork for the Crossfield house is signed, not to mention Chris has accepted the positon, so there is no turning back now.....
I have a lot of mixed feelings churning around in my belly right now.
On another note, I left Luca for the longest amount of time yet on Sunday- 7.5 hours!!!! He stayed with my mom, Jessica, Sarah and Donovan. From the sounds of it he had a blast and didn't miss Mommy or Daddy one bit! We thought that he would have a better day playing than coming with us to look at the Crossfield house again, sitting in the car, etc.. I think we were right!
Then today, he went over to Jacquie's for 6 hours to play so that we could get some work done around the house.
He was away from me for as long as he would be when I return to work. Hmmmm. Maybe I am a bit more ready to cope with leaving him than I thought? I am scheduled to go back after the long weekend. Sigh. At least now I know that I can do it. But, boy, did I miss my little man, and I was so happy to see him and kiss him, even though he didn't really seem to care that I was back. Stinker!
Oh, also I started weaning Luca about 2 weeks ago now. I started by taking away one feeding (at his morning nap) and replacing it with a bottle. It was a tough few days, but then all seemed to be going well. When I began to take away a second nursing session (before his afternoon nap), he became rather upset with me and refused me all together. HE quit ME COLD TURKEY!!!! Seriously when I tried to nurse him, he would SCREAM like I was torturing him until he got a bottle. So, I guess he is completely weaned. I was still hoping for the bedtime feedings, but I guess not. Oh well, at least he's weaned, right?
Unfortunately, I ended up with quite a bad case of mastitis due to this. Sigh. Not to worry, its all cleared up now.
Not only did Luca not want to nurse, he wanted NOTHING, I mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with me when it came to feeding, changing and cuddling (playing was still ok). He would not let me feed him, so I had to think up nutritious finger food meals for him, he would not allow me to hold his bottle, and he did not want to be cuddled by me. It was a pretty emotional few days.
I am told by the meanie that thought this was just too hilarious that this is common, and that Luca was just telling me that he was mad at me for taking away his nursing time. (Not to mention any names...Pat!) Anyway, I am glad to report that he loves me again and will let me be his Mommy again.
He has a 3rd tooth, as well (I think I may have already posted about that, but can't remember for sure.). The 4th is right under the surface. We'll see if it comes through or goes back into hiding for a while....
Saturday, May 05, 2007
The Verdict Is In...
Well, it is official. We are moving. Chris accepted their offer (a few counter offers later) for the position in Calgary. Chris has really already started the job as he has been filling in since the previous person left. So, he will continue to be spending most nights of the week in Calgary, and home on the weekends.
Tomorrow we are going back to the house that we liked to have another look and most likely make an offer. We'll let you know if it is accepted.
Although there was some discrepancy between what we wanted and the company wanted to provide, we are happy with the final result. Everything has really fallen into place, except for the fact that we were in limbo for a few weeks.
So, we are selling our house in Ponoka, obviously. If anyone knows of anyone that is looking to buy, let us know ASAP.
Tomorrow we are going back to the house that we liked to have another look and most likely make an offer. We'll let you know if it is accepted.
Although there was some discrepancy between what we wanted and the company wanted to provide, we are happy with the final result. Everything has really fallen into place, except for the fact that we were in limbo for a few weeks.
So, we are selling our house in Ponoka, obviously. If anyone knows of anyone that is looking to buy, let us know ASAP.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Outside fun!
Here are a bunch of pictures from the weekend. Sorry if they are a bit out of order, Blogger was taking FOREVER to upload pictures! So, they are a bit random....
Luca had so much fun with his little car outside yesterday. He stopped to watch Chris, and rested his leg up on the seat of the car. It was so funny!
Ahhh, Discovery! Daddy showed Luca a ladybug and he couldn't resist touching it. And, of course, it was fun to put it on his hand and tickle him! I was also playing with the zoom and focus on my new camera. Not bad, I think.
Grass inspectors....don't underestimate the importance of this job.
Luca had to go under the couch after a toy. He did a really good job of wiggling his way out. I thought he'd get frustrated and cry, but evidently he was having a good time smushed under there!
Mommy and Luca out in the yard on Saturday.
Luca loves books! Yippee!!!!! I'm so pleased!
Luca's 10 months old today! I can hardly believe it!
Donny and Luca playing outside with Grandma on Friday evening. Luca wasn't sure what to think of the grass, so just stayed put. He liked watching them play, though.
In the last few days, Luca has gotten a 3rd tooth!!!! Finally! These top teeth have been reaking havoc in this house for the last month or so. There were many days that we could see the tooth, but it just didn't want to come through. Finally, on Friday, Luca woke up from his nap with a little white tooth poking through! I think that the other one is close behind. His bottom teeth came in a week apart, so we'll see if these ones follow suit.
In my last update post, I forgot to mention that Luca and I have been attending "Enjoying Your Baby", a group for new moms offered through Parentlink (where we go to playgroup and where we took Wee Sign). It is a nice group of about 7 moms with babies 1 year or under. Most of them are right around Luca's age. It is really nice to meet every Thursday and be able to chat about things that we are all experiencing right now (teething, crawling, etc). They also bring in quest speakers to talk about relevant things. Last week (which I missed because Luca had been up most of the night before) was a lady talking about how moms need to remember to take care of themselves, too. I am quite disappointed that I missed that one, it sounds like it was good. Oh well. There are still 5 more weeks left, so I am sure that there will be more good conversations. Luca loves to go and play with all the other kids and new toys! It is great for me to get out and be with other moms and its nice for Luca to get some time with other people besides mom!
In the last few days, Luca has really been getting daring. Often now when he is standing, he will let go and stand there playing with a toy or something with both hands. This only lasts for a few seconds and he either falls or realizes that he is standing, and grabs hold of whatever is close again. But, he is getting so that he will do it for longer periods of time. He is also getting quite fast at walking holding on to furniture and going from chair to chair to get where he wants to go.
Luca had so much fun with his little car outside yesterday. He stopped to watch Chris, and rested his leg up on the seat of the car. It was so funny!
Ahhh, Discovery! Daddy showed Luca a ladybug and he couldn't resist touching it. And, of course, it was fun to put it on his hand and tickle him! I was also playing with the zoom and focus on my new camera. Not bad, I think.
Grass inspectors....don't underestimate the importance of this job.
Luca had to go under the couch after a toy. He did a really good job of wiggling his way out. I thought he'd get frustrated and cry, but evidently he was having a good time smushed under there!
Mommy and Luca out in the yard on Saturday.
Luca loves books! Yippee!!!!! I'm so pleased!
Luca's 10 months old today! I can hardly believe it!
Donny and Luca playing outside with Grandma on Friday evening. Luca wasn't sure what to think of the grass, so just stayed put. He liked watching them play, though.
In the last few days, Luca has gotten a 3rd tooth!!!! Finally! These top teeth have been reaking havoc in this house for the last month or so. There were many days that we could see the tooth, but it just didn't want to come through. Finally, on Friday, Luca woke up from his nap with a little white tooth poking through! I think that the other one is close behind. His bottom teeth came in a week apart, so we'll see if these ones follow suit.
In my last update post, I forgot to mention that Luca and I have been attending "Enjoying Your Baby", a group for new moms offered through Parentlink (where we go to playgroup and where we took Wee Sign). It is a nice group of about 7 moms with babies 1 year or under. Most of them are right around Luca's age. It is really nice to meet every Thursday and be able to chat about things that we are all experiencing right now (teething, crawling, etc). They also bring in quest speakers to talk about relevant things. Last week (which I missed because Luca had been up most of the night before) was a lady talking about how moms need to remember to take care of themselves, too. I am quite disappointed that I missed that one, it sounds like it was good. Oh well. There are still 5 more weeks left, so I am sure that there will be more good conversations. Luca loves to go and play with all the other kids and new toys! It is great for me to get out and be with other moms and its nice for Luca to get some time with other people besides mom!
In the last few days, Luca has really been getting daring. Often now when he is standing, he will let go and stand there playing with a toy or something with both hands. This only lasts for a few seconds and he either falls or realizes that he is standing, and grabs hold of whatever is close again. But, he is getting so that he will do it for longer periods of time. He is also getting quite fast at walking holding on to furniture and going from chair to chair to get where he wants to go.
Janice likes to...
( I took this from facebook, so if you are on there, you may have seen this already, but it is funny, so I had to share with the masses! )
Something kinda fun to try...do a Google search and type in quotation marks your name and then "likes to" (ex. "Janice likes to"). Type in the first ten things that come up and repost in your own note. Here's what mine said...
1)Janice likes to agonize over paint colors and flooring options
2)Janice likes to run current through the to needles provide stronger stimulation to the acupoints
3)Janice likes to see herself as a spiritual seeker, and is always well-versed in the latest New Age flavour-of-the-moment
4)Janice likes to write about her dreams
5)Janice likes to stir up trouble
6)Janice likes to call it "her baby"
7)Janice likes to place pictures of me in magazines and send me on scavenger hunts to find them
8)Janice likes to have her fun.
9)Janice likes to come here so she doesn’t have to cook. She knows how to do the math
10)Janice likes to buy fabric in the shops on Seventh Avenue, cook, run, read dictionaries, think about plots while she's practicing piano
Haha! Some of these are funny! Some true, some a little out there. I won't tell you which ones, though. That's for me to know and you to guess....
Thursday, April 26, 2007
I'm getting bad at posting...
Ok, I am realizing that it has been a while since I have posted anything (and left it on...). Stupid Facebook has me addicted! Here's what's been happening in the last few weeks...
We are still unsure about the job/ moving thing. In case you didn't hear, here is the short story- Chris may be taking a job at the shop in Calgary (same company, different position), which would mean that we would be moving. We found a house that we liked in Crossfield, so might possibly be moving there. There are still some things to be worked out, and hopefully we will know by next week. When we know for sure, I will post the details then.
If we move, we will be selling our house here, obviously. So, last weekend, we finished painting the kitchen and hallway. We fully intended to do this when we did the living room in December, but just never actually got around to it. So, we are almost done, just have a bit of trim work to finish up. If we sell, we have a few other little jobs to do/ finish around the house before we list it. The way that the market is around here, I don't think that we will have a problem selling. We sure will miss this house, though....a lot of memories here.
A few days ago I went to my Thai cooking class. My friend Carri came along, too. It was really fun. It was a little different than I expected, though. I thought that we would be cooking, but it turned out to be more of a "cooking show" where we just watched how to cook the dishes. It wasn't bad, though, the cook kept up a pretty good banter. He owns the EcoCafe in the Village at Pigeon Lake. Seems to be a really nice guy. Anyway, after we watched him cook, we got to eat the food. It was delicious! I am really looking forward to cooking the dishes for Chris and anyone else that happens to be lucky enough! :)
Next week we are doing a class called the Art of Cooking with the same guy. He will be demonstrating some of his favorite dishes. He has been a chef for 32 years, so I am looking forward to seeing what his favorite things to cook/ eat are.
Luca is busy as ever. He is walking holding on to everything, and loves to walk when you hold his hands. He is standing without much support by the cupboards, my legs, the couch, etc. He discovered last week how to put toy "into" things, so I am forever finding goodies in my pots and pans, laundry baskets, buckets, etc. He still really loves to chase/ be chased. He thinks that when Hope is behind him, she will be chasing him, and gets quite frustrated when he crawls away and she doesn't follow!
I took Luca to be weighed the other day and he was 21 lbs 13 oz and is 30 inches tall! He sure is a growing boy!
Yes, I'm laughing at YOU!!!
Reading a story with Daddy before bed.
Oooh, what's in here?
Such a big boy!
Our little elfin child. Tee hee!
Donovan's catch of the day!
We are still unsure about the job/ moving thing. In case you didn't hear, here is the short story- Chris may be taking a job at the shop in Calgary (same company, different position), which would mean that we would be moving. We found a house that we liked in Crossfield, so might possibly be moving there. There are still some things to be worked out, and hopefully we will know by next week. When we know for sure, I will post the details then.
If we move, we will be selling our house here, obviously. So, last weekend, we finished painting the kitchen and hallway. We fully intended to do this when we did the living room in December, but just never actually got around to it. So, we are almost done, just have a bit of trim work to finish up. If we sell, we have a few other little jobs to do/ finish around the house before we list it. The way that the market is around here, I don't think that we will have a problem selling. We sure will miss this house, though....a lot of memories here.
A few days ago I went to my Thai cooking class. My friend Carri came along, too. It was really fun. It was a little different than I expected, though. I thought that we would be cooking, but it turned out to be more of a "cooking show" where we just watched how to cook the dishes. It wasn't bad, though, the cook kept up a pretty good banter. He owns the EcoCafe in the Village at Pigeon Lake. Seems to be a really nice guy. Anyway, after we watched him cook, we got to eat the food. It was delicious! I am really looking forward to cooking the dishes for Chris and anyone else that happens to be lucky enough! :)
Next week we are doing a class called the Art of Cooking with the same guy. He will be demonstrating some of his favorite dishes. He has been a chef for 32 years, so I am looking forward to seeing what his favorite things to cook/ eat are.
Luca is busy as ever. He is walking holding on to everything, and loves to walk when you hold his hands. He is standing without much support by the cupboards, my legs, the couch, etc. He discovered last week how to put toy "into" things, so I am forever finding goodies in my pots and pans, laundry baskets, buckets, etc. He still really loves to chase/ be chased. He thinks that when Hope is behind him, she will be chasing him, and gets quite frustrated when he crawls away and she doesn't follow!
I took Luca to be weighed the other day and he was 21 lbs 13 oz and is 30 inches tall! He sure is a growing boy!
Yes, I'm laughing at YOU!!!
Reading a story with Daddy before bed.
Oooh, what's in here?
Such a big boy!
Our little elfin child. Tee hee!
Donovan's catch of the day!
Monday, April 09, 2007
New Camera Pics
Random photos from my new camera. I have an adorable subject, don't you think? :)
***Just a reminder, to see a larger image, just click on the picture***
" Oh, hi Mom! I just thought I'd help you reorganize these
diapers....."
Luca loves drinking out of a "big boy" cup!
Luca loves to have a bath- as soon as the water is turned on, he crawls as quickly as he can to watch the water.
EASTER PHOTOS
(Saturday)
We haven't had a family photo in ages...this one was the best shot that we got. Donovan wasn't very cooperative, and for some reason my dad looks like he would rather be anywhere else. He wasn't that grumpy, really! Oh, and Ryan, Sarah's boyfriend is also in the picture.
Such a cool dude on his trike!
(Sunday)
Luca's Easter Outfit
I swear this is only sparkling apple juice!
Luca cuddling with Uncle Dan
These 2 pictures are from this morning. Luca was standing at the couch, and his pants just fell down to his ankles! It was so funny. He thought so, too!
***Just a reminder, to see a larger image, just click on the picture***
" Oh, hi Mom! I just thought I'd help you reorganize these
diapers....."
Luca loves drinking out of a "big boy" cup!
Luca loves to have a bath- as soon as the water is turned on, he crawls as quickly as he can to watch the water.
EASTER PHOTOS
(Saturday)
We haven't had a family photo in ages...this one was the best shot that we got. Donovan wasn't very cooperative, and for some reason my dad looks like he would rather be anywhere else. He wasn't that grumpy, really! Oh, and Ryan, Sarah's boyfriend is also in the picture.
Such a cool dude on his trike!
(Sunday)
Luca's Easter Outfit
I swear this is only sparkling apple juice!
Luca cuddling with Uncle Dan
These 2 pictures are from this morning. Luca was standing at the couch, and his pants just fell down to his ankles! It was so funny. He thought so, too!
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